Bed foundation

ABSTRACT

A bed foundation includes a plurality of bed-boards, a plurality of braces configured to couple to bottom of the bed-boards to provide elevation and vertical support to the bed-boards, and a plurality of buckling devices configured to couple the plurality of bed-boards horizontally together. In one aspect of the invention, the top of the bed-boards is a flat plane and bottom of the bed-boards includes crisscross reinforcing sinews. In another aspect of the invention, the bed foundation also includes holes that penetrate from top to bottom of the bed-boards into notches formed at crossing of reinforcing sinews. In another aspect of the invention, the bed foundation also includes small holes in peripheral sides of the bed-boards, wherein the buckling devices mate with the small holes to couple the bed-boards horizontally together. Advantages of the invention include the ability to disassemble the bed foundation for storage and transport.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Number200320106726.0 filed Oct. 30, 2003.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to beds and more particularly tobed foundations.

BACKGROUND

A conventional bed includes a mattress and a one-piece bed-board thatserves to provide structural support to the mattress. A bed-board for aconventional bed is typically constructed from a single piece ofmaterial. However, a one-piece bed-board can be difficult to transportand store due to its large, awkward size.

What is needed is an improved bed foundation.

SUMMARY

The invention overcomes the identified limitations and provides acomposite bed foundation. The bed foundation may be disassembled intosmaller elements.

An exemplary embodiment of a bed foundation includes a plurality ofbed-boards, a plurality of braces configured to couple to bottom of thebed-boards to provide elevation and vertical support to the bed-boards,and a plurality of buckling devices configured to couple the pluralityof bed-boards horizontally together. In one aspect of the invention, thetop of the bed-boards is a flat plane and bottom of the bed-boardsincludes crisscross reinforcing sinews. In another aspect of theinvention, the bed foundation also includes holes that penetrate fromtop to bottom of the bed-boards into notches formed at crossing ofreinforcing sinews. In another aspect of the invention, the braces areconical bodies that decrease in diameter from bottom to top. In anotheraspect of the invention, the bed foundation also includes small holes inperipheral sides of the bed-boards, wherein the buckling devices matewith the small holes to couple the bed-boards horizontally together. Inanother aspect of the invention, the bed-boards, the braces, and thebuckling devices may be disassembled from each other.

In another aspect of the invention, the bed foundation also includes aplurality of casing holes in the bottom of the bed-boards to mate withthe braces. In another aspect of the invention, each brace includes acolumnar casing head at top of the brace, and a step adjoining thecolumnar casing head, wherein the columnar casing head is configured toinsert into a casing hole and the rim of the casing hole is supported bythe step.

In another aspect of the invention, the bed foundation also includessurrounding sides configured to couple to peripheral sides of thebed-boards to surround the outside of the bed-boards. In another aspectof the invention, the surrounding sides have protruding parts on top tomate with small holes in the peripheral sides of the bed-boards. Inanother aspect of the invention, the surrounding sides are attached toeach other by the buckling devices, the buckling devices mating withsmall holes in the surrounding sides. In another aspect of theinvention, the small holes in the peripheral sides of the bed-boards arethe same size and shape as the small holes in the surrounding sides.

Advantages of the invention include the ability to disassemble the bedfoundation for storage and transport.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a bed foundation, according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the bed foundation depicted in FIG. 1,according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a bed foundation, according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the bed foundation depicted in FIG. 3,according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a bed brace, according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 6 shows a side view of a buckling device, according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a side view of a bed foundation with surrounding sides,according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a surrounding side for use in connectionwith a bed foundation, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments are described herein to provide a detaileddescription of the invention. Variations of these embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art. For example, the invention isdescribed with reference to a bed foundation, but the invention may alsoapply to foundations for other types of furniture.

FIGS. 1-6 depict one embodiment of a bed foundation including fourbed-boards 1. In one aspect, the bed-boards 1 are constructed ofplastic. FIG. 1 shows the top of the bed-boards 1, which lie in a flatplane. FIG. 2 shows the bottom of the bed-boards 1, which have manycrisscross reinforcing sinews 11, 12. Holes 13 penetrate from top tobottom of the bed-boards 1 and lie in the notches made by the crossingof the vertical 11 and horizontal 12 sinews. Although the holes 13 aredepicted as being round, they may also be other shapes such as anellipse, a square, a triangle, a polygon, or any other shape. Carryingholes 131 penetrate from top to bottom of the bed-boards 1 to provideplaces to hold the bed-boards 1 when carrying. Several holes 121penetrate the horizontal sinews. In the peripheral sides of thebed-boards 1 are one or more rows of small holes 14, the sizes of whichmatch the ends of buckling devices 3 (see FIG. 6). In one aspect, thebuckling devices 3 are “n” buckling devices 3. Both ends 31, 32 of thebuckling devices 3 are inserted into the holes 14 of the two neighboringbed-boards 1, forming the two neighboring bed-boards 1 in to one largercomposite bed-board. Four or more casing holes 15 are integrally shapedand symmetrically designed into the bottom of each bed-board 1. Brace 2(see FIG. 5) includes a conical body that decreases in diameter frombottom to top. At the upper part of the brace 2 is a columnar casinghead 21 and a step 22. The columnar casing heads 21 mate with the casingholes 15 at the bottom of the bed-board 1. The step 22 of the brace 2braces the rims of the casing holes 15. In one aspect, the brace 2 ishollow and the shape of its cavity is conical.

When the bed foundation is in operation, the linking places between thebed-boards 1 are fixed with the buckling devices 3. To be fixed, thelinking places of two adjoining bed-boards 1 are buckled with twobuckling devices 3. To buckle, one end 31 of the buckling device 3 isinserted into a small matching hole 14 on the peripheral side of onebed-board 1, while the other end 32 of the buckling device 3 is insertedinto a small matching hole 14 of the other bed-board 1. This joins thetwo bed-boards 1 together. In other words, two bed-boards 1 are joinedat their edges by two buckling devices 3. In this way of joining, twosets of front and rear bed-boards 1 are joined and then the two sets ofbed-boards 1 are joined together to form one large composite bed-boardcomposed of four bed-boards 1. The appropriate number of the braces 2 isinserted into the casing holes 15 at the bottom of the bed-boards 1 forelevation and vertical support. For the entire four-part compositebed-board, sixteen of the braces 2 may be used. When the braces 2 areinserted, the columnar casing heads 21 on the upper parts of the braces2 are inserted into the casing holes 15. Once the braces 2 are fixed inthe bed-boards 1, the bed foundation is formed.

FIGS. 7-8 depict another embodiment of a bed foundation. Surroundingsides 16 are fixed to the peripheral sides of the bed-board 1 byprotruding parts 161. The sizes and shapes of the protruding parts 161may be the same as those of the ends 31 and 32 of the buckling devices 3so as to match the peripheral sides of bed-board 1 with the bucklingdevices 3. The small holes 14 match and mate with the protruding parts161 of the surrounding sides 16 to provide for easy of construction andassembly. Each surrounding side 16 may consist of many, such as eight,parts. The surrounding sides 16 surrounds and join to the outside of therespective bed-board 1. The surrounding side 16 is fixed to thebed-board 1 by insertion of the protruding parts 161 of the surroundingside 16 into the small holes 14 on the peripheral sides of bed-board 1.The surrounding sides 16 are fixed to each other using the bucklingdevices 3. To be fixed, one end 31 of the buckling device 3 is insertedinto the small hole 14 in one side of a surrounding side 16 while theother end 32 of the buckling device is inserted into the small hole 14in one side of another surrounding side 16 to make the two surroundingsides 16 join together. The two surrounding sides 16 are fixed togetheronce the two buckling devices 3 are inserted into the proper holes.

Having disclosed exemplary embodiments and the best mode, modificationsand variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remainingwithin the subject and spirit of the invention as defined by thefollowing claims.

1. A bed foundation, comprising: a plurality of bed-boards; a pluralityof braces configured to couple to bottom of the bed-boards to provideelevation and vertical support to the bed-boards; and a plurality ofbuckling devices configured to couple the plurality of bed-boardshorizontally together.
 2. The bed foundation of claim 1, wherein: top ofthe bed-boards is a flat plane and bottom of the bed-boards includescrisscross reinforcing sinews.
 3. The bed foundation of claim 1,wherein: at least one of the group consisting of: the bed-boards; thebraces; and the buckling devices; is constructed of plastic.
 4. The bedfoundation of claim 2, further comprising: holes that penetrate from topto bottom of the bed-boards into notches formed at crossing ofreinforcing sinews.
 5. The bed foundation of claim 1, wherein: thebraces are conical bodies that decrease in diameter from bottom to top.6. The bed foundation of claim 5, wherein: the braces are hollow andshape of their cavities is conical.
 7. The bed foundation of claim 1,wherein: number of the bed-boards is selected from the group consistingof: two; four; six; and eight.
 8. The bed foundation of claim 1, furthercomprising: small holes in peripheral sides of the bed-boards; wherein:the buckling devices mate with the small holes to couple the bed-boardshorizontally together.
 9. The bed foundation of claim 7, furthercomprising: small holes in peripheral sides of the bed-boards; wherein:the buckling devices mate with the small holes to couple the bed-boardshorizontally together.
 10. The bed foundation of claim 4, wherein: shapeof the holes is selected from the group consisting of: square; ellipse;circle; triangle; and polygon.
 11. The bed foundation of claim 1,wherein: the bed-boards, the braces, and the buckling devices may bedisassembled from each other.
 12. The bed foundation of claim 1, furthercomprising: a plurality of casing holes in bottom of the bed-boards tomate with the braces.
 13. The bed foundation of claim 12, wherein eachbrace comprises: a columnar casing head at top of the brace; and a stepadjoining the columnar casing head; wherein, the columnar casing head isconfigured to insert into a casing hole and rim of the casing hole issupported by the step.
 14. The bed foundation of claim 1, furthercomprising: surrounding sides configured to couple to peripheral sidesof the bed-boards to surround outside of the bed-boards.
 15. The bedfoundation of claim 14, wherein: the surrounding sides have protrudingparts on top to mate with small holes in the peripheral sides of thebed-boards.
 16. The bed foundation of claim 15, wherein: the surroundingsides are attached to each other by the buckling devices, the bucklingdevices mating with small holes in the surrounding sides.
 17. The bedfoundation of claim 16, wherein: the small holes in the peripheral sidesof the bed-boards are the same size and shape as the small holes in thesurrounding sides.